Terra Sancta Shingle Beach Pinot Noir 2024

It started with a map in a dark library and an epiphany. Which led to an Alchemist-like journey to Bannockburn to discover the mysteries of wine and this special place.

A wise man once said, “find the best vineyard sites you can because you can’t out perform your vineyards”. Guided by this wisdom, a process of following the signs, finally led to this far corner of the world, Bannockburn, Central Otago and the Sancta vineyard, home to the first vines planted in Bannockburn.

Once on the migratory path of Maori in search of Pounamu - Bannockburn was settled in 1862 during the gold rush. Felton Road is now a meandering country road of vines, mostly the Pinot Noir for which the region is famed, and orchards. It is also home to the “Mysterious Diggings” created by the gold sluicings from the 19th century gold rush and punctuated with wineries, cellar doors, the bike trail. The best street in New Zealand is also our home base - home to our Terra Sancta Estate vines, cellar door, winery and office, hens, sheep, goats, Hill of Health, Mound of Microbes - it is a vibrant and fascinating corner of the world.

Shingle Beach is densely planted at more than three times the standard planting. The soils on the front of the block are glacial schist gravels, while at the back there is a dense seam of limestone reflected in the wine’s minerality. Sitting above the glacial Kawarau River at 220 metres above sea level, the fruit on Shingle Beach ripens early and this combined with the dense planting of the block results in fruit with balanced acidity and concentration, all at relatively low alcohol.

Made for maximum expression use of oak (20% new), is intended to complement the fruit’s minerality and unique texture derived from the combination of dense plantings, limestone soils and the Bannockburn climate. Made with no additions and fermented using native yeasts, the wine was neither fined nor filtered and bottled at Terra Sancta on 7 March 2024.